Rekindle The Flames
by Slytherin Keeper
Summary: Ron and Percy bond. Ew, not in a sexual way, you incestual perves. They become close friends...and they both have a secret. Oliver/Percy. No sex, no kissing, language is appropriate, pg for some more mature sexual comments made.Ties in with Desire by, er,


Author's Babble: I highly recommend reading Desire first, as it ties in with this one. Also, I made a really important Percy/ Chris Rankin (the actor who played Percy in the movie) reference towards the end of the fic. 10 points to anyone who can catch it :D!  
  
-Ri-  
  
Dear Percy,  
  
Finally, life is no longer cold with my new cuddling partner. Harry's taken the road to loserdom, leaving Cho to devastation. Sucks for her that I get the guy. Hee hee.  
  
Christmas was fun but I'm upset I missed you. I would've come home had you had decided to, you know. I haven't seen you since start of term. I'm glad owls can help us keep our new closeness, and glad that we became close. Your advice has been vital to my survival. Thank you.  
  
So I read the Muggle dictionary like you told me I should. Boring read, but Harry says my new vocabulary sounds "sexy and sophisticated". Hermione's even impressed! As you've seen and heard from mum and dad, my marks have gotten better. Your advice to studying during my period of solitude kept me sane and has benefit me. Hopefully, Harry will understand that now I have an utter desire study. Hmm.  
  
Maybe I'll come home Easter holiday with Harry, but only if you promise to be there too.  
  
Love,  
  
Ron.  
  
Percy folded the letter and placed it to the side. He'd write back later. He took Pig and placed him in a cage with Hermes. Pig fluttered around excitedly, nearly knocking feeble Hermes over.  
  
Percy immediately became pensive, forgetting the small heap of work in front of him. He removed the tired out of his cage to let Pig eat some of his food and began to stroke Hermes' old, leathery feathers.  
  
Memories flowed through his brain like a river with a strong current. One key thing popped into his head.  
  
It was bound to happen, he remembered. Fred and George were out playing Quidditch. Ginny was arguing with mum and dad. He was home for a bit during the summer. Ron was in his room, like he had been since the day he got home. He just sat in his room, basically doing nothing, the entire summer. He'd only left once to visit Harry for a day, but Harry wouldn't be staying at The Burrow this summer because "the Dursleys wouldn't let him," but Percy knew better; Harry was becoming too cool for Ron.  
  
Percy thought this strange. Harry just seemed like the type not to care about popularity. Didn't he hate his fame? And Ron was always striving for and enjoying his chances at glory, to make himself equal to Harry and his feats. But now Ron was withdrawn, not caring to catch up to Harry's popularity. And though it didn't seem like Percy cared much, well, Percy didn't like to admit he cared too much. He couldn't care for people; why should he when people didn't care for him? But this was very irregular, too irregular. Percy had find out the cause of drastic change in Ron.  
  
That day, Ron was confined to his room like usual. The sun was reflecting off the bright orange of Chudley Cannon's paraphernalia, and Ron was sitting on his bed, half naked, a freckly hand clutching a roughly crumpled newspaper clipping of…Cedric and Harry?  
  
Ron had turned around immediately, Percy discovering he was half naked. Ron immediately clasped on his pants and broke into a nervous sweat, his ears and cheeks flustering an embarrassed pink.  
  
"It's not what you think!" he exclaimed pleadingly, near tears. "Please, Percy, I—,"  
  
"Ron!" Percy had interjected calmly. "I won't tell mom and dad and I don't think any differently of you,"  
  
Ron sighed with relief and sat back down on his bed, but he still had begun to cry. Percy sat next to him and put a supportive arm around him.  
  
"Should I be ashamed, Percy?" Ron had asked. "Should I be ashamed of my sexuality?"  
  
"No, Ron," Percy had told him with pats on the back. "It's better to be yourself then someone else. That's the only thing you should be ashamed of: not being yourself,"  
  
Percy let Ron cry on his shoulder until he finally calmed down. This was the start of a brotherhood at its finest.  
  
The summer progressed, and 1 September was approaching. Percy and Ron were becoming closer and closer with each day, revealing things about themselves.  
  
"Who was your first crush?" Ron questioned. Percy was the only one he had ever met like himself, curiosity was natural, Percy remembered thinking himself.  
  
"Well, you know, I was with Penny for quite some time," Percy reminded Ron. "But that was a disaster if I ever saw one. Major cover up for my true feelings. To everyone, we seemed like the perfect couple, and the outside, we were. But she figured me out. It was too soon for me to tell anyone, and she didn't want to be alone. We became good friends. We didn't break up, but at the same time were weren't quite faithful…"  
  
Ron's eyes had widened. "With…who?"  
  
"Oliver," he told Ron. "Oliver Wood,"  
  
Ron just nodded, understanding why Percy would like Oliver.  
  
"How did that come about?"  
  
Percy smiled to himself, staring up dreamily.  
  
"I was studying one night, and it was freezing in the castle. I had ripped some old Weasley jumpers to use as body warmers, and I was wearing one. I was wearing a hat, two scarves…you get my point, it was freezing out. And I was still cold. Oliver walks in to the dorm wearing just a jumper, sleeves rolled up, and trousers. He laughed at me all huddled up and asked me why I was so cold. I just shrugged, shivering. Then he walked over and began to rub my back to keep me warm a bit, just in a friendly way. But then we just ended up cuddling on top of my bed to keep me warm, and he finally kissed me. It was perfect. I knew I was gay before then, but this…this is what keeps me gay today,"  
  
Percy quickly had become somber with nostalgia. He missed this, pined for it. The comfort and completeness he felt in Oliver's arms was unmatched by any other lover he had ever had. Percy was never cold again until he and Oliver left Hogwarts, and they hadn't seen each other since.  
  
Ron was watching Percy cry and enter his own little word of remembrance and hugged him. All Percy could do was hug him back.  
  
Percy remembered telling Ron about the farewell letter he had written Oliver before their last Hogwarts term was up. Percy remembered the last line he had written.  
  
"Oliver, you are the flame in me, the fire that keeps me alive and sane. I've never loved someone with such a heated existence. Please, remember to keep me in your heart as you've put such a flame into mine. Love always, Percy,"  
  
Later had come. Percy would write Ron back.  
  
Dear Ron,  
  
Things have been quite boring at work. Everyone's so focused on the return of the Dark Lord that I've been pulled off and I'm now working dad's office while he helps Fudge and what not. I have to do all of dad's work, which is surprisingly a lot.  
  
I'm enjoying my new flat. It's small, but then again, who else am I to live with? When you graduate, maybe you can live with me. That'll be good company. At least it won't be awkward when we bring guys home instead of girls. Only we need to know. Then again, mum and dad are expecting grandchildren. Looks like we'll have to rely on everyone else for that. Unless they're hiding something…  
  
I really hope I do see you again, Ron. I've been thinking a lot about Oliver lately, too much. I guess I just miss him. I haven't seen him since Hogwarts, you know, that's two years…and we did have such a great time together in those last months.  
  
Your letter did cheer me up, though. Significantly. For your birthday, I'm buying you a new owl, though, because yours nearly killed Hermes.  
  
Love,  
  
Percy  
  
P.S. You and Harry can stay with me during Easter Holidays, as long as you promise not to be too loud.  
  
  
  
Percy snickered at his final comment as he folded the letter up and walked to Hermes's cage, retrieving Pig and attaching the letter to his feet. He flew out the window, hooting wildly. Hermes had fallen asleep on Percy's desk.  
  
Percy also felt tired enough to go to go bed himself, and found himself cuddling into his covers and drifting off into a slumber.  
  
* * *  
  
They were at the top of the world. Percy had never quite felt so free, so boundless. He wanted to let go of Oliver, to feel this freedom to its full extent, but his arms remained tightly around Oliver's waist, never wanting to let it go, for Oliver was Percy's true freedom.  
  
If it weren't for the two immediate raps on Percy's window, it would've been the perfect dream. Percy woke with a start, opening the window to let in a tough looking carrier owl, which landed professionally next to an unconscious Hermes, ruffled it's feather prestigiously, and placed the single letter on the desk. It flew out the open window. Percy closed it immediately due to the cold January draft.  
  
He then went to get the letter. That owl definitely wasn't Pig, he thought to himself, furrowing a brow curiously as he picked up and opened the letter.  
  
And he would spend the next fifteen minutes gaping at the letter, tears flowing readily down the red head's mildly freckled face.  
  
* * *  
  
He Apparated to London the next morning, already in his finest black robes, and walked into the only Wizard church in London, which was appropriately hidden in between a mosque and a synagogue. He entered the church hesitantly, not ready to take the emotions that would overcome him as he entered.  
  
Percy felt eyes stare at him, mouths drop open at his site, whispers. He walked to the coffin, his eyes peering at the body, examining it.  
  
And finally, his mind accepted it. It saw it, it perceived the reality; Penelope Clearwater was killed by The Dark Lord.  
  
Percy's brown eyes immediately filled with tears, and he felt Ravenclaw girls Penny had known cry with him and hug him. Numbly, he hugged them back. He hadn't lost his ex-girlfriend and first love, which he knew they were thinking, but he had lost his best friend, and one of three people who knew his true self.  
  
The funeral was about to start. Percy sat down towards the back of the pews, keeping himself away from everyone else on purpose.  
  
But he wasn't alone for longer. A familiar warmth soon pressed itself onto Percy's shoulder. Percy's salt-water stained face and red-rimmed eyes looked sharply to reveal his only true medicine…  
  
"You—,"  
  
"Me," interrupted Oliver Wood, sitting next to Percy. His face seemed sad, but relieved at the same time, Percy had noticed…but he was too shocked to notice much of anything else. "You?"  
  
"Me,"  
  
"Me too," Oliver's hand had now moved to Percy's hand, their fingers held together. There was a tense silence, until-  
  
"I've come to rekindle the flames," Oliver told Percy, now taking Percy's other hand. Percy smiled through his crying.  
  
"How wonderful life is when you're in the world,"  
  
Hand in hand, not caring, the two crying boys walked out of the church. Penelope's watching ghost understood. 


End file.
